Cap Hill Blue: Bush Knew About Leak of CIA Operative's Name: 10 yr penalty

[Dems Will Win]

From Capitol Hill Blue

Bush Leagues
Bush Knew About Leak of CIA Operative's Name
By Staff and Wire Reports
Jun 3, 2004, 05:28

Witnesses told a federal grand jury President George W. Bush knew about, and took no action to stop, the release of a covert CIA operative's name to a journalist in an attempt to discredit her husband, a critic of administration policy in Iraq.

Their damning testimony has prompted Bush to contact an outside lawyer for legal advice because evidence increasingly points to his involvement in the leak of covert CIA operative Valerie Plame's name to syndicated columnist Robert Novak.

The move suggests the president anticipates being questioned by prosecutors. Sources say grand jury witnesses have implicated the President and his top advisor, Karl Rove.

-snip-

Sources within the investigation say evidence points to Rove approving release of the leak. They add that their investigation suggests the President knew about Rove's actions but took no action to stop release of Plame's name.

© Copyright 2004 Capitol Hill Blue
http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/printer_4629.shtml


Add this to the Erratic Behavior article about Bush telling people to "fuck over" those who oppose him as "enemies of the state".
Supposedly witnesses have already accused him of committing a crime that carries a 10-year penalty!

[soothsayer]

1. keep 'em comin, Venus, keep 'em comin

Spill those secrets...!

[KittyWampus]

2. Please Don't Be Yanking Our Chains...

because this could not only bring down junior and his cabal but pretty much the republican party.

[LittleApple81]

4. But I have seen elsewhere on DU that CapitolHillBlues is not

a very reliable source. I think they had at least one piece that ended up not being founded on reliable information and they lost credibility. I have absolutely no proof of this, I just have seen it on several posts here on DU.
I HOPE IT IS TRUE. We need freedom back.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

7. Their founder, Doug Thomson is a Reaganite!

I don't trust this scum site.

http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_4647.shtml

[Dems Will Win]

11. Why would he make this up if he's a Reaganite??? Not logical there

Making up a story that witnesses told the Grand Jury the President committed a 10 year felony is not likely. Especially if he's a Reaganite...

[Renew Deal]

17. He's an ex-freeper.

[John_H]

20. He can like Reagan. He positively hates chimp. and did a piece

called, "Our Law Breaking Attorney General"

[salin]

29. Which is part of what makes his rather "get 'em" tone toward Bush

all that more interesting.

I find chb to be a bit of an insiders gossip/news source for folks (lower staff levels) working on the hill. Guessing it is viewed as a guilty pleasure reading to many staffers - and a bit of a thrill to "leak" off the record to it.

Reliable? Not really.

Agenda ridden? Somewhat - which makes its current tone interesting.

[Must_B_Free]

9. Remember their Joe Wilson / Trevor Wilkerson thing?

The "we got fooled" story?

[stopbush]

10. One piece was bad? I guess they're trailing the NY Times in the

reliable source race!

[Media_Lies_Daily]

23. They've had this story pretty well nailed.

[Dems Will Win]

5. I believe the Intelligence Agent Identity Act has a mandatory 10-year

sentence no matter who the lawbreaker is. Some special kind of law. John Dean talked about it on Findlaw, if someone can find the link.

[calimary]

14. Maybe this one?

http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dean/20040604.html

The Serious Implications Of President Bush's Hiring A Personal Outside Counsel For The Valerie Plame Investigation
By JOHN W. DEAN
----
Friday, Jun. 04, 2004
Recently, the White House acknowledged that President Bush is talking with, and considering hiring, a non-government attorney, James E. Sharp. Sharp is being consulted, and may be retained, regarding the current grand jury investigation of the leak revealing the identity of Valerie Plame as a CIA covert operative.
(Plame is the wife of Bush critic and former ambassador Joe Wilson; I discussed the leak itself in a prior column, and then discussed further developments in the investigation in a follow-up column.)
This action by Bush is a rather stunning and extraordinary development. The President of the United States is potentially hiring a private criminal defense lawyer. Unsurprisingly, the White House is doing all it can to bury the story, providing precious little detail or context for the President's action.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Bush explained his action by saying, "This is a criminal matter. It's a serious matter," but he gave no further specifics. White House officials, too, would not say exactly what prompted Bush to seek the outside advice, or whether he had been asked to appear before the grand jury.



Just a snip there.

There's also this...

http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dean/20030815.html

The Bush Administration Adopts a Worse-than-Nixonian Tactic:
The Deadly Serious Crime Of Naming CIA Operatives
By John W. Dean
Friday 15 August 2003
On July 14, in his syndicated column, Chicago Sun-Times journalist Robert Novak reported that Valerie Plame Wilson - the wife of former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, and mother of three-year-old twins - was a covert CIA agent. (She had been known to her friends as an "energy analyst at a private firm.")
Why was Novak able to learn this highly secret information? It turns out that he didn't have to dig for it. Rather, he has said, the "two senior Administration officials" he had cited as sources sought him out, eager to let him know. And in journalism, that phrase is a term of art reserved for a vice president, cabinet officers, and top White House officials.
On July 17, Time magazine published the same story, attributing it to "government officials." And on July 22, Newsday's Washington Bureau confirmed "that Valerie Plame ... works at the agency on weapons of mass destruction issues in an undercover capacity." More specifically, according to a "senior intelligence official," Newsday reported, she worked in the "Directorate of Operations undercover officer."
In other words, Wilson is/was a spy involved in the clandestine collection of foreign intelligence, covert operations and espionage. She is/was part of a elite corps, the best and brightest, and among those willing to take great risk for their country. Now she has herself been placed at great - and needless - risk.


Just another snip.

[progressivebydesign]

15. Then Novak will be eating prison food soon, too?? I HOPE!! N/T

[ejcastellanos]

30. I know I hope he serves time

It seems that he should be held accountable for the outing. Just having the knowledge of an operative's identity doesn't mean that it should be made public. Did he know that she was an active operative? If not, it seems like it was shoddy journalism. If he did, then he knowingly exposed a covert operative.

It would be a farce if he is able to hide behind the call, "I'm a journalist." This wasn't some big cover up he exposed. He committed a felony by outing Plame. I don't see why he isn't being pursued.

Yes we need a free press, and sometimes they may print things that at the time seem treasonous. But irresponsibly divulging state secrets for no gain to the public is wrong.

[TriMetFan]

3. WOW

Thanks for the link.

[drfemoe]

6. NSA

thou art our 'god'.

[kiahzero]

8. Even if Rove wasn't the leaker, he violated the law from statements

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/docs/plame.law.memo.pdf

[Wapsie B]

12. I've seen a number of articles recently

from Capitol Hill Blue and was wondering about their credibility. It would be great if what they say is true.

[progressivebydesign]

18. Hard to assess..

HOWEVER.. he DID have the details correct about the latest bizzarre White House chapter about Tenet's departure, and how the inner circle found out minutes before or right after Bush made the public announcement. He had some juicy stuff about Bush flipping his lid lately.. including that Tenet story. I tend to believe the things I've read there, they usually have truth to them. I don't think the guy makes this stuff up.. but perhaps he does get misled. This latest stuff, about the Plame investigation, sounds similar to what I've read lately. I hope so!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BeFree]

13. Months ago

Wilson was quoted as saying Rove was the guy who flipped Plame. Said he was looking forward to seeing Rove 'frog-marched' out of the White house.

Looks like Wilson knows his stuff.

[Renew Deal]

16. If he did this... They should march that traitorous, two faced piece of ..

SHIT out of my fucking White House. Fuck that traitor. He's a fucking criminal. :argh::argh::grr::argh::argh:

[dpbrown]

19. Read the Ruppert article to see the pieces put together

http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/060804_coup_detat.html

[wabeewoman]

22. Wow! Thanks.

That was great. Pulls a lot of things together. Guess time will tell if its correct.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

24. That is quite an article...thanks for posting it.

[pansypoo53219]

21. quick

somebody tell annthrax this, she should know treason, she wrote a book on it.

[Gore1FL]

25. Bush is immune from prosecution though

He'll pardon Rove.

Fox will spin it off as a Clinton issue.

[struggle4progress]

26. Pardons are intended to offset wrongful convictions.

The founding fathers certainly did not contemplate pardons issued BEFORE conviction. A little reflection should suggest that pardoning someone before the trial is ridiculous -- and an invitation to wholesale Administrative corruption.

[Gore1FL]

27. Its been done already

Poppy did it to all the Iran Contra powple to stop their testimony form being heard.

I am not arguing with you assertation that it is ridiculous. I am neither arguing with your statement that this was not in the minds of the Founding Fathers. I also agree with the point that it is truly an invitation to Administrative corruption (though with GWB, there really is no need to send out invitations)

What I am saying is it has been done before and I have no doubt that, if in a pinch, Bush II would do the same thing.

[Dems Will Win]

28. kick

[struggle4progress]

31. Been done but never challenged in court.

I agree that Boy George is likely to do the same. But I say a subsequent administration should prosecute anyway, and let the whole question of such pardons go to the Courts. If the Courts uphold this ridiculous BS, then it's time for a constitutional amendment.